When my first book, Trading Paint: 101 Great NASCAR Debates (still available on Wiley.com), released in 2010, one of the most popular of its 101 chapters was “What Would I Change if I Raced NASCAR?”
I have heard from countless fans via email and in person during public appearances I have made in support of the book. Nearly everyone who purchased and read the book pointed to this particular chapter as one that NASCAR should take into account if the sport wanted to rebound from the doldrums it fell into when the economy began to deteriorate in 2007.
Some of these problems persist today, but it must be recognized that NASCAR has embraced its core fanbase and listened to those same fans more than perhaps at any other time in its 60-year history.
We’ve seen significant improvements, from the shortening of several races (like at Pocono), to the advent of the new so-called Generation 6 version of the Car of Tomorrow, which will debut in less than two months at the Daytona 500 . .
But there’s still plenty of work and improvement to be done to keep casual NASCAR fans watching races on TV and attending in person at tracks from Loudon to Fontana.
Additionally, awareness must also continue to attract more new fans.
It’s these two particular groups that will help NASCAR regain the kind of popularity levels it enjoyed in the early and middle part of the last decade.
The true die-hard fans will always be there and continue to support the sport. But for it to develop, some of the positive and forward-thinking changes that have already taken place will have to continue and be amplified.
That brings us to today’s topic: five radical ideas to make NASCAR better for casual fans. We take some of the ideas from my book, as well as a few new ones. And as always, we’re always open to your ideas (leave them in the comments section).
So, without further ado, here are five of our radical ideas for improving the sport.
One of the biggest problems for new and casual fans is their attention span. Simply put, many simply cannot participate in long races.
Sure, some races have already been shortened in places like Pocono and Dover, but there are still several races that could easily be shortened from 500-mile events to 400-mile events (even 350 miles, if need be).
Some fans’ main argument against shorter races is that they won’t get their money’s worth if more races are shortened.
But the irony is that races that have already been shortened have become, for the most part, more exciting and more meaningful than their longer predecessors – races that seemingly went on and on before finally seeing the checkered flag.
Although stock car racing is a sport, it is also entertainment, and NASCAR wants to provide the best possible value in sports and entertainment.
It’s a tricky and tricky line to walk, but so far the sanctioning body has done a good job and we hope they continue in the same direction.
To improve the quality of racing, reducing the number of cars from 43 to 35 would be a big help.
While we have nothing against the start and park teams, overall, what do they really bring to the level of competition in Sprint Cup?
Not a lot.
We’ll see the Nationwide Series field go from 43 to 40 in 2013, so why not follow suit in the Sprint Cup?
Sometimes less East better.
When you have a 36-race schedule, you’re going to have must-win races like the Daytona 500, but you’re also going to have races at tracks where it would be better to have just one race per year rather than two. Not to mention that it would also increase the quality of the races.
How many races should we cut? This is a difficult question.
Maybe two or four, or maybe as many as six.
But at the same time, let’s leave the door open to adding a few races to the calendar once the economy is back on solid footing.
We’d love to see another race each year in places like Chicago and Las Vegas, as well as potentially new tracks in the Pacific Northwest, perhaps Denver, and maybe even Canada.
As a sanctioning body, NASCAR has wide latitude not only to establish rules, but also to enforce those rules.
At the same time, nothing draws the ire of racing fans more than seeing sanctions handed out inconsistently.
While we would also like to see some rules rewritten and become more consistent, that’s a topic for another day.
Still, greater consistency in punishments would go a long way toward keeping fans engaged. It would also likely reduce fan criticism of the sport and the sanctioning body.
We are greatly encouraged that NASCAR will host a 2013 Camping World Truck Series race at Tony StewartThe dirt road in Eldora, Ohio. It’s this forward thinking and not being afraid to take such a risk that will continue to appeal to NASCAR fans, especially the more casual fans.
The race at Eldora will be a real event that will likely attract more fans than the venue can accommodate (15,000 to 20,000).
Any true racing fan within about 300 miles will want to be a part of the history that unfolds in Eldora when the trucks hit the road.
Using Eldora as a starting point, in addition to perhaps launching another road course or two, we would like to see NASCAR potentially explore other types of non-traditional racing venues.
How about an urban circuit (obviously it would need fairly wide streets)?
Look at how popular street circuits like Long Beach and Toronto are in single-seater racing. Why not in NASCAR?
Sure, the logistics would be difficult, but if NASCAR can race on dirt, it can race virtually anywhere.
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